The present invention relates to a plate pack for an inclined plate separator.
In conventional inclined plate separators, the separation of sediment from a suspension or of liquids in an emulsion is accomplished by supplying the suspension or emulsion to a plurality of separation passages formed between a plurality of parallel, spaced apart plates, all inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, usually at an angle of about 45.degree.-60.degree.. In the most common embodiments of inclined plate separators, the suspension or emulsion enters the separation passages laterally. The sediment in the suspension or the heavier liquid in the emulsion sinks downwardly in the separation passages, flows past the lower edges of the plates, and is removed at the bottom of the separation apparatus, while the remaining liquid flows upwardly and is eventually discharged through outlets at the upper ends of the plate passages.
The influent suspension or emulsion is usually supplied to the separation passages through a distributor positioned close to the plates so that the influent is allowed to flow from the distributor into the passages between the plates. Preferably, the distributor is positioned laterally of a plate pack or between two plate packs and is provided with side walls, so that the influent is forced downwardly and enters the passages between the plates at some distance below the top edges of the plates. The influent enters the distributor through an inlet from the top, or preferably, from the side of the distributor.
In order to cover the sides of the separation passages to hold the plates in the plate pack in spaced relation to each other, the plate pack has side walls consisting of a series of plate support members, usually one for each separation passage. According to prior art arrangements, these support members usually have an I-shaped configuration. The plates are fixed to at least one of the support members usually by glueing, and the height of the I-shape accordingly fixes the distance between plates in the plate pack. In a separator provided with a distributor, as described above, the side wall of the plate pack facing the distributor can form the side wall of the distributor and this side wall is then formed with openings for allowing the suspension or emulsion to flow into the separation passages.
In such arrangements, the glueing of the separation plates to the support members is an uncertainty factor and the glue joint is a region of weakness. The stress on the glued surfaces is great. Certain plate materials are also difficult to glue. Moreover, glueing is a health risk and is an expensive method. Another substantial disadvantage is that skewness in the plate pack can be caused by uneven plate thickness if the thickness variations of the plates accumulates along one side of the pack. Such a skewness can result in an uneven flow of the suspension or emulsion through the separator and may cause difficulties when mounting the plates.